AYURVEDA
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is comprehensive medical system that is 5000 years old. It considers itself as the Mother of medicine, from which the Chinese as well as classical western medicine have issued. The name comes from Sanskrit (Ayus – life, Veda – knowledge). It is considered as the oldest surviving treatment system in the world.
What are the principles of Ayurveda?
The essential principle of Ayurveda is life in compliance with one’s constitution and with the laws of nature. Ayurveda is a holistic science; it concerns the whole human being. It does not aim at the suppression of symptoms but searches for and cures the cause of illness. It directs itself to the maintenance of energy balance in the body, the most important condition for health. Ayurveda is engaged in details not only in treatment but also in prevention of illness and longevity. The diet, exercise and the whole way of living is individually recommended according to the constitution, race and climatic conditions. The admission of individual distinctness and individual approach to treatment is one of the unique features of Ayurvedic medicine.
What are three doshas, prakruti and vikruti?
According to Ayurveda a human being is composed of five elements, three vital energies – principles (dosha), seven tissues (dhatus) and a large amount of canals (shrotas). Of these five elements – air, space, fire, water and earth – two elements always form the basis of each of the three doshas. The word “dosha” itself and the names of the three doshas, Vata,Pitta,and Kapha, are Sanskrit words. Dosha – the three principles – interpenetrate everything in nature. Vatta is the energy of movement, Pitta expresses the metabolism and Kapha corresponds to the principle of substance and structures. These energies occur in each of us, only in different amounts in each individual. Each of us has a unique structure of energy – therefore each human being is so unique. The combination of those three doshas comprises our constitution.
Why try Ayurveda?
The history of Ayurveda goes back 5,000 years. At present there are more and more physicians from all over the world who are interested in it and who have adapted this medicinal system to our western society. Ayurveda and ayurvedic treatment techniques have been proven effective in many clinical studies. Ayurveda should be the first choice in case of chronic (drawn-out) illness, which can not be treated in a satisfactory manner by conventional medicine. Ayurveda aims not only to treat the sick person, but also to prevent illness in healthy people, who can get ill due to stress, family problems and so on. Therefore it is not possible to call Ayurveda, the science of life, merely as alternative medicine.
What are the main treatment techniques?
Ayurveda offers a treatment for each of the five senses: herbs and nutrition act on the sense of the taste, the olfactory sense is influenced by aromatherapy, the touch is related to Yoga, precious stones and massages, the hearing is treated by mantra (sound energy with curative effect) and we can affect the sight by colors (color-therapy). Ayurveda mostly proves successful in the treatment of chronic illnesses. Ayurveda covers and cures a wide range of illnesses, from the common cold to chronic illnesses, allergy, chronic fatigue, ulcers, bad digestion, from insomnia to grave mental disorders. The choice of relevant therapy depends on the individual constitution, on the type of imbalance and on the season. The following are the most frequently used treatment techniques:
• aromatherapy including the use of aromatic oils and incense sticks
• herbal treatment using natural substances without side effects
• special breathing exercises carried out before meditation
• choice of appropriate exercises contributes to the whole health
• the detoxication method called Panchakarma cleans the organism and eliminates
the settlement of toxic substances
• shirodhara with its deep calming effect
• meditation influences positively our mind and thus the entire organism
• marma therapy stimulates by gentle massage some points on the body and
reflexively affects the respective organs
• yoga – special exercises called “Asanas” belong to the part of treatment of many
illnesses. Hathayoga is the nearest to Ayurveda,
• therapy by colors and stones.
What is Shirodhara?
Shirodhara is a method during which warm oil is applied on the patient’s forehead for 15 to 40 minutes from a specialized vessel which is suspended above the head of the reclining patient. The application of oil on that place promotes not only a deep relaxation and thus regeneration of the organism, but also helps to cure approximately 80 illnesses such as headache and migraine, insomnia, memory loss or concentration failure, depressive state and other mental complaints.
What importance do herbs have?
Herbs are gentle and natural treatment. They do not have any side effects, because they are compatible with the body’s own chemicals. They are absorbed easily and because of their different characteristics (desiccant/humid, incentive/sedative etc.) it is possible to choose exactly the right herbs which can cure in the given case depending on the illness.